Advice Requested

"WJRFlyBoy" wrote in message
...
snipped excellent advice

Prior to getting off the ground, can you suggest an educational approach
(websites, written materials, etc) so to get ahead of the academic learning
curve?

Consider taking a ground school now if one is available in your area. They
may be available at local flight schools and/or your local community college.
For a modest investment in money and time, you will not only learn valuable
information that will speed your later cockpit learning, you will also get a
chance to talk to many other students who will have already had experiences with
local flight schools and CFIs. It will also get you a signoff so you can go
ahead and get your written exam out of the way.

Vaughn

You might also consider a flying club which offers instruction.
Visit the airport convenient for your lessons and ask if there are
flying clubs there. Clubs can offer a little more camaraderie and
different style than strictly commercial flying schools. Visit both
and see which atmosphere you like.

How much free time do you have? The advice to get the written done
with is good, you can go to classes or get the Kings or Sportys DVDs
and watch/study on your own. Classes may go too slow for you and the
videos allow you to learn on your own pace.

You *can* fly too often, but what that is depends on the student. We
do a fair amount of learning in our sleep--we must allow new
experiences time to sort out in our brains while sleeping. So flying
several hours a day, every day, would probably not be productive. It
is also true that flying too seldom is not helpful. I found 2 to 3
times a week good, but you and your instructor will find a pace that
works for both.

You will encounter stretches when you learn rapidly and other times
when you simply cannot acquire some needed skill. During the latter,
remember, sometimes the brain simply needs extra time to assimilate
new things. It can help to take a couple weeks rest (from flying) and
come back to it later.
--
I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with
my legs.
~ Frederick Douglass, escaped slave

"WJRFlyBoy" wrote in message
...
It's time to stop talking and start doing so I would appreciate any advice
on how to assess a flight school, instructor, pricing and any other
suggestions.

nope

mk5000

"That was before the population of the country was as it is now."--James
Donovan

"Bob Fry" wrote in message
...
Clubs can offer a little more camaraderie and
different style than strictly commercial flying schools.


I am sure you have already heard this since you probably watch football

mk5000

`He was cut. We´re still investigating the nature of the
injury,´´ Sgt. Linda Doherty-Wright

On Nov 22, 2:16 pm, WJRFlyBoy wrote:
It's time to stop talking and start doing so I would appreciate any advice
on how to assess a flight school, instructor, pricing and any other
suggestions.

No advice too basic, trust me Including what I should have included in
this post or requested in the first place

TIA

Location: SW Florida/Bonita Springs
Objective: Flight for business (SE USA), travel between two homes
(Caribbean) and simple pleasure
My Age: mid 50s

--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!

This is one place to start. Phone calls to different schools will give
you a partial impression just the way they handle your call. Its a
business but unfortunately many flight schools aren't run that way and
staffed by kids who are not oriented towards the business end.
Ask to speak with the chief flight instructor and have your questions
ready as you posed here. Price, time, experience of instructors,
aircraft, time to completion, any guarantees of performance if you get
scheduled, etc. All too often a new student gets shoved off to one
side for their scheduled instructor to go fly a charter, or fly
something besides a "stupid training flight". I have fired more than
one young instructor for such attitudes.
A new instructor is eager to show off their new found skills but
frequently the student loses actual stick time watching the CFI show
off. OTOH, the new instructor is fresh on nearly everything having
been studying for his/her exams. I enjoy flying with older studetns
such as yourself for a number of reasons. 1. Motivation to learn to
fly and paying attention. 2. Maturity to understand it isn't a game
and requires study and focus. 3. Financial smarts to budget the money
within reason and capable of following thru to the end. 4. Desire to
fly safely and within their own envelope and experience level. 5.
Understanding how skills can deteriorate and the need for regular
training or refresher training.
While the older guys take more time to get it down, once they have it,
they HAVE it. Older people are smart enough to figure out when they
are being jerked around and usually have sense enough to say so or do
something about it.
Avoid buying every gadget in sight. There are a few basic books that
you need to study and even after 40 years of instructing, I still need
to review them from time to time. There are only a few basic pieces of
equipment that you need and don't buy the most expensive ones!
Experience will be your guide as you progress thru your flying.
Best of luck and don't hesitate to ask more questions. There are some
very experienced and helpful people here to lean on and learn from.
Soaring Buzzard
Worldwide infamous pilot/instructor

"WJRFlyBoy" wrote ...
I have had to wait 30 years +, kids out of the house,
my wife willing to give in, life insurance paid in full...

Great to hear you are coming at this with eyes wide open! Remember to keep
it fun, even though you are tracking toward flying to support "business
meeting schedules". This is the most difficult area of General Aviation to
fulfill for a PPL. You'll need your instrument rating and a VERY able
aircraft. Something that can get above the weather in a hurry. A big turbo
twin or a single engine turboprop (TBM or like) would meet your needs, but
also empty your pockets quickly. That's why I mention to keep it fun. That
way, if you should need to adjust your end goals you won't look back and
think you wasted your time. It will have been fun, and can be a lifetime
hobby.

Also, call your life insurance agent and check on the details, sometimes
there are surprises in the fine print.

On Nov 22, 3:16 pm, WJRFlyBoy wrote:
It's time to stop talking and start doing so I would appreciate any advice
on how to assess a flight school, instructor, pricing and any other
suggestions.

No advice too basic, trust me Including what I should have included in
this post or requested in the first place

TIA

Location: SW Florida/Bonita Springs
Objective: Flight for business (SE USA), travel between two homes
(Caribbean) and simple pleasure
My Age: mid 50s

--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!

When selecting a CFI, keep in mind that teaching and flying are two
separate skills. Many students get sold on war stories, especially
instructors who have flown big irons or served in combat. You want to
judge them based on their teaching and interpersonal skills. Most CFIs
have the flying skill to teach the beginning student. Think of a child
learning math. What you need is a teacher who is patient and has
insight into the childs thought process. You don't necessary want
someone with a PhD in math.

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:16:22 -0500, WJRFlyBoy wrote:

It's time to stop talking and start doing so I would appreciate any advice
on how to assess a flight school, instructor, pricing and any other
suggestions.

This is a good group isn't it? You could write a good article from what's
been said already.

I've got 2 cents I can contribute:

When you visit a flight school ask the question "How many hours do you
have? You can ask this question of everyone you meet because pilots
generally love to answer. This question then leads to a few follow up
questions as to their aspirations and goals in this industry with the goal
of weeding out schools with a lot of "time builders".

Time builders are not the end of the world, some are great natural
instructors while they build time. But, you should try to evaluate if they
like what they are doing.

Other good questions include, "How many students have you soloed?". "How
many students have you taken all the way to a certificate?"

In some of the cheaper flight schools, ask who does their maintenance. If
it's guy who shows up every Tuesday - Thursday and rents a hanger there you
might ask for a little tour of his operation before you bet your life on
his work.


--
Dallas

On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:46:39 GMT, Vaughn Simon wrote:

"WJRFlyBoy" wrote in message
...
snipped excellent advice

Prior to getting off the ground, can you suggest an educational approach
(websites, written materials, etc) so to get ahead of the academic learning
curve?

Consider taking a ground school now if one is available in your area. They
may be available at local flight schools and/or your local community college.
For a modest investment in money and time, you will not only learn valuable
information that will speed your later cockpit learning, you will also get a
chance to talk to many other students who will have already had experiences with
local flight schools and CFIs. It will also get you a signoff so you can go
ahead and get your written exam out of the way.

Vaughn

Yeah, ground school, good place to start before I crash and burn

Thanks, found a couple nearby.

http://tinyurl.com/3xtp48

http://www.beaveraviation.com/fl/flindex.htm

Vaughn, shows what good advice can lead to

http://0-atpl.blogspot.com/2006/01/hidden-costs.html

http://0-atpl.blogspot.com/2006/01/n...-to-leave.html

Don't know if that is the case with NaplesAC today but Caveat Emptor
--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:45:15 -0800, Bob Gardner wrote:

There is no such thing as too often, BUT you must allow yourself time to
assimilate the new information/experience/knowledge, and to prepare for the
next lesson. Your instructor should debrief you after each lesson and
discuss with you what comes next...but you will escape the re-learning that
comes with flying infrequently.

The web is an invaluable resource. Use search engines to the utmost.

Nothing wrong with cross-posting to both the student and piloting
newsgroups, but you will soon see that the same folks frequent both. I
recommend that you join the AOPA and log onto their forum as well as
www.pilotsofamerica.com, www.purpleboard.net, and www.studentpilot.com. Lots
of friendly, helpful folks and a few jerks.

Bob Gardner

Got your email, appreciate the time for this post and it as well. The Xpost
didn't accomplish much but I am so behind the learning curve, **** against
the wall kind of thing.

I thought it was especially enlightening when you pointed out the
educational possibilities today vs yesterday (pre 1980?). Sometimes I
forget this not so simple fact even though my business *is* the software
technologies sector.

Kudos.
--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!